Crazy things you see on the Riverwalk

We've lived here in the San Antonio area for about eight months now, and I've now been to the Riverwalk all of three times. We went once with some out-of-town guests and once with Andy's parents at Christmas to see the lights.

And Monday, we went for dinner in conjunction with a convention something-or-other in town for Andy's industry. I nearly laughed out loud as I found myself one of two women on a river taxi LOADED with guys in suits. Guys in suits sitting knee to knee and shoulder to shoulder, most of them wondering why on earth river taxis don't have first class seating. What a sight we must have been. Oh, how I wished for my camera.

When we arrived at our destination (note to self: the Westin Hotel is different from the Weston Centre), there was a little Latin man in a fedora and white suit coat crooning jazz. Another photo op missed.

The music was great. Dinner was okay. But what I found out that evening is that my husband is a stud. He is apparently very good at what he does, and all his peers like him. Really, really like him. Not that I'm surprised. Okay, maybe I'm a little surprised at just HOW awesome he is. He's always been the best-looking man in any given room full of refining-industry types (not that it takes much). And he's always been what I refer to as "scary smart". But I love that he's so well-liked and respected. It makes me proud.

I felt like a princess that evening. But only because I was on the arm of the prince.

I am certainly blessed well beyond what I deserve.

Snow Day

Here in San Antonio, we never (well, almost never) see snow. Even when we do, it melts before you really get a good look at it. And there's never enough to play in.

So imagine the kids' delight when it snowed at Mom and Dad's during Spring Break. On Friday morning, we woke up to a winter wonderland, and the kids immediately perched on the counter next to the kitchen window to get a good view.

It was 7:30 and freezing outside, and they were already begging to go out and play. We held them off until around nine, and then bundled up and let them loose to enjoy the snow. This was the first time either Brady or Max had seen snow, and even they loved it.

We took a little break to have lunch with "Uncle Jas" (my little brother, James), and then we were off to Urban Park to sled. Anyone who has ever been to Urban Park to sled expects to see a well-worn hill covered in kids. But on this particular afternoon, we pulled up to the park to see the most beautiful, untouched, pristeen hill of snow. And we were the only ones on it the entire time we were there. It was awesome.

I took a ton of pictures and I can't post them all here, so here's a link to my Spring Break Picasa album: http://picasaweb.google.com/amyjill.moreland/SpringBreak2009.

The Cave of the Winds

I mentioned in my last post that there is an awesome hiking trail close to my childhood home. Somewhere along it, there's a cave. We've always called it the Cave of the Winds. I can never find it, but Pop manages to guide Andy and the big kids to the mouth of the cave each time we visit. They LOVE it.

So on Wednesday afternoon, Pop took some time off to make the traditional trek to the cave. It was a monumental task just to find all the gear to keep them warm, since our little Texas family owns no gear of our own. Praise God that Nana keeps a bag with all sizes of mittens, scarves, hats, etc. We finally got everyone outfitted, and Blake HAD to have a flashlight. Where does he get that OC personality? Nana again made a miracle happen when she produced the flashlight, and the gang was off to the cave.

The first two pics below are just inside the cave. The third pic is the climb to the cave. Can you believe my flat-landed kids can hike like that? I'm so proud of them!

Nana and Pop's

For those of you who don't know, my parents' home is on the market. We just spent what is very likely the last week we'll ever spend in the house I grew up in. And although the house looks so different than when I was in high school (Mom took a sudden interest in redecorating EVERYTHING after we girls left the house), it's still home.

Los Alamos is this weird but wonderful place. It seems to be frozen in time. And although that is a little freaky, it's also comforting.

I'm going to miss the strange little city on the hill, and the beautiful stucco home I grew up in. I'll miss the mountains. I'll miss the canyons. I'll miss seeing someone I know at nearly every shop I enter. I'll miss the smell of roasting green chile in the farmer's market in August. I'll miss the fact that the local newspaper (the Monitor, nicknamed the Moronitor) claims that every lead in every show ever produced by the Los Alamos Light Opera is "ready for Broadway". I'll miss the stuffed sopapillas topped with yummy green chile at De Colores. I'll miss breakfast burritos from a little shack that must be able to afford a nicer building by now, but insists on staying in the shack. I'll miss the parks...lots and lots of awesome parks. I'll miss being able to walk from our home to the most awesome hiking trail. I'll miss walking to my high school and suddenly realizing that the day was too gorgeous to go to school and heading for said hiking trail instead. I'll miss that on Thursdays, all the shops in town are open "late til 8". I'll miss the fact that I wasn't the only kid in any given room whose father was a nuclear physicist.

I made some wonderful memories there. And I'm thrilled to have spent the week making even more memories there with my children. I'm a little sad at the prospect of another family living in my house. And I'm sad to no longer have an easy reason to return to quirky, beautiful Los Alamos.

But enough with the nostalgia.

The kids always have a ball at Nana and Pop's. Nana works hard at finding fun things to do, and they have a bunch of fun stuff to do in their yard. But if all they had was a trampoline, Sydney, Blake and Brady would be perfectly happy.



Max, on the other hand, loves the playhouse and the sandbox.



All in all, it was a great week. More to come about our snow adventure. And it was an awesome way to say goodbye to my mountains.

Brady's Three (Part Two)

We celebrated Brady's third birthday in Los Alamos with my parents in the home I grew up in. Andy and I had actually spent the previous night in Santa Fe at the Hilton, so we came home mid-day to celebrate. We tried to do as many of Brady's favorite things that day as possible. We'd planned to do a tour of playgrounds, but it was cold and windy. We went to three different shops before we found a donut. Mom provided a cake, and we had a low-key family celebration.





We all just keep feeding the Diego frenzy. Mom and Dad gave Brady a Diego radio that came with a little toy camin (and Brady had to tell the rest of us that the little alligator was, in fact, a camin). We bought him this authentic rescue pack and a game to play on Syd's Leapster. All in all, I think he had a wonderful day.

So in his honor, here are some random facts about Brady, in no particular order:

• He loves donuts.
• He loves Diego.
• He is particularly coordinated for a three-year-old. He can take stairs one at a time, and he can play on pretty much any playground without help.
• He sleeps with a yellow blanket that was actually a shower gift before Syd's birth. He calls it "beebee".
• He still shows very little interest in using the potty.
• He can take all of his clothes off, but he can't really put them on yet.
• He loves school and Bible class. He may say he doesn't want to go, but he always runs right in and is beaming when we pick him up.
• He is learning to say he's sorry. But instead of asking for forgiveness, he will say, "I forgive you." (For instance, after he hits Max, he'll say, "I'm sorry I hit you Max. I forgive you.")
• His laugh is absolutely maniacal and contagious. And he laughs a lot.
• He has very high highs and very low lows. He is definitely my most emotional child. I love that he lives so fully and feels so deeply, and I pray that the Lord gives me the ability to help him channel that passion. I never, ever want him to lose it.
• He's always hungry, yet rarely eats what is good for him. The acceptable dinner foods include mac-n-cheese, cheese quesadillas, pb&j, cheese ravioli and spaghetti.
• He has an awesome imagination. He frequently takes a few plastic animals outside so he can "rescue" them Diego style. And he finds new uses for toys that I would have considered broken or trashed. I remember one time I tried to throw away an old plastic tube that I think might have been part of some swim toy at one time. He found it in the trash and waved it in my face, saying "Mom, this is not trash. This is a TOY. We don't throw away toys!"
• He loves to spell. But most everything is spelled "P-L-U-D".
• His favorite dance is the robot dance. Check him out:

I'm sure I'll think of a thousand other things I love about him after I finish publishing this post, but that's a good start. He has made my world so joyful, and I can't imagine what we would do without him. He is our comic relief and source of constant entertainment. He's an amazing kid. I've wondered with each child how I could possibly love them as much as I love the others. And I think as a mama, I love all of my children equally, but differently. I definitely have a special bond with Brady. He's one of the greatest surprises the Lord has ever given me, and I thank God for him every day.

Secret Garden

We started our Spring Break week by driving to Nonnie and Poppie's house in Abilene on Sunday afternoon. There are so few kids that ever meet their great-grandparents anymore, and I count it a huge blessing to give my children time with my grandparents. Nonnie and Poppie have the greatest back yard with a swingset and tons of plants. It's like I always imagined the Secret Garden. That evening was beautiful, and the kids played outside until dark. Monday, we had to get up and get going to Mom and Dad's in Los Alamos. Before we left, I was determined to get a couple of pics. Apparently, Poppie's bald head makes the perfect race track.

Bradyisms

A few minutes ago, Brady spilled his fruit cup on the table. I went to get a paper towel, and when I turned back around, he was licking the table. I told him to knock it off, and he replied, "But my tongue's a really good cleaner." You just can't make this stuff up.

My daughter is a youtube rock star.

Sydney had to design a commercial for the book Chocolate Fever as part of a language arts project at school recently. We decided to take it all the way and just record it. She was the only one in her class that actually made the commercial, and she had instant rock star status. I posted the video to Youtube so it didn't take up space on her teacher's hard drive, and her friends have been checking it out at home. Maybe it's just me, but I think the kid's got talent. Check her out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vemAEuFYIbY .

Like my new look?

You might have noticed my blog got a little makeover. I had paid an incredibly small sum to blog designer Shauna Callaghan months ago, but only recently got my act together. So I finally decided to just give her complete creative freedom, and this is what she came up with. Thank you, Shauna! If you're interested, you can see more of her work and hire her for yourself at www.seemydesignsbyshauna.com .

Brady's Three (Part One)

Thanks to Andy, we don't celebrate birthDAYS at our house. We celebrate birthMONTHS. So in that spirit, we celebrated Brady's birthday with Andy's parents last weekend. Brady is still Diego-obsessed, and Gran and Grandad fed the frenzy big time. Three is such a fun age because it is the first year that they really get it. They can blow out the candles, sing "Happy Birthday" to themselves, and open gifts unassisted. So much fun.

Yes, that is a sugar Diego-head in the middle of that cupcake. Brady thought it was great fun to eat his head. So much fun, in fact, that he probably ate three or four heads. Can you say sugar high?

Make a wish.

Blow out the candles.

Yay, I did it!

Mmmm.

Max loves him some chocolate cupcakes.

Brady loves his Gran and Grandad.